Eastbourne

Eastbourne's population expanded in the decade to 2011. Data from the census also show there were changes in health, religion and housing tenure.

The population passed 99,000

Between the last two censuses, the population of Eastbourne increased by 11%, from just under 89,700 to 99,400.

The addition of about 9,700 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Eastbourne was home to, on average, 16 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across the South East

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across the South East, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Eastbourne

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Eastbourne increased by one year, from 42 to 43 years.

This city had a higher average age than the South East and remained somewhat older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of about 2,700 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 70 and 79 years decreased by about 300.

About 12% of people in Eastbourne are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Eastbourne by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Eastbourne residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 10% to 6.2% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (78%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 64% in 2001. The percentage of Eastbourne residents that described their health as fair decreased from 26% to 15%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad decreased faster here than in any other local authority district across the South East. The improvement brought health in Eastbourne close to the regional average 4.4% in the South East described their health as good in 2011).

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Eastbourne decreased by 4 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Eastbourne, the South East and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Eastbourne

The percentage of Eastbourne residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 3.1% to 3.9% between the last two censuses.

The proportion who reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities remained close to 6.7%, while the percentage of Eastbourne residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 90% to 89%.

The proportion of people who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of the South East (from 2.5% in 2001 to 3.2% in 2011). Across England, the proportion increased from 3.1% to 3.8%.

The proportion of people who are limited a lot by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across the South East

Percentage of usual residents that reported being considerably limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in the South East and the average across England, March 2011

Religion in Eastbourne

The number of people in Eastbourne that described themselves as having no religion increased from about 15,000 in 2001 to just under 29,000 in 2011. This represents a change from 17% to 29% of the local population.

The percentage increased by more than the average across the South East (from 17% to 28%) and the average across England (from 15% to 25%).

The number of people in Eastbourne that described themselves as Christian decreased from just over 65,000 in 2001 to about 59,000 in 2011 (from 73% to 60%). The number of people who did not disclose their religious affiliation increased from about 7,300 to just under 8,000. However, as a percentage of the total population, this represented a decrease from 8.1% to 8.0%.

Just under 1,500 people (1.0%) said they were Muslim, up from about 880 in 2001 (1.5%).

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as migration and varying fertility rates between religious groups. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population without a religion in Eastbourne increased by 13 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, South East and Eastbourne by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Rise in private renting

The percentage of privately rented homes increased in Eastbourne at a faster rate than in nearby Wealden.

In Eastbourne, the proportion of private renting increased from 14% in 2001 to 23% in 2011. During the same period, the

Across the South East, the share of privately rented homes increased from 10% to 16%.

The rate of social housing in Eastbourne fell from 16% to 13%, while the rate of home ownership decreased from 68% to 62%.

Private renting in Eastbourne increased by 9.5 percentage points

Percentage of households in Eastbourne, the South East and England that rented privately, March 2001 and March 2011

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